What started out as a drive round the Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area, ended with the discovery of a fynbos species new to science. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has now been confirmed that the Nuwejaarsrivier Wetlands Special Management Area (NWSMA) is home to a new species of Cyrtanthus, called the Cyrtanthus novus-annus (Latin for Nuwejaars). Locally it has been called the Nuwejaars Lily. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pretty pink and white flowered plants have only been found in two locations \u2013 both of them in the NWSMA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With fewer than 250 plants in total, covering an area of less than 5 km\u00b2, it\u2019s likely that the new Cyrtanthus will be classified as Endangered on the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) Red List once assessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cyrtanthus expert Dr Dee Snijman, who described the new species, said: \u201cThe species epithet honours the recent restoration of biodiversity in the Nuwejaars Wetlands area.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The NWSMA covers an area of 47 000 ha, with Critically Endangered Fynbos and irreplaceable wetlands and rivers crisscrossing the landscape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The farmers, who are members of the NWSMA, have appointed a team of conservationists to help restore and manage these land- and waterscapes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a botanical twist, the Cyrtanthus novus-annus is seen as a sister species to the Critically Endangered Cyrtanthus guthrieae (the Bredasdorp Lily), given their resemblance and their reasonably close proximity to each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bredasdorp Lily only occurs on the mountains above the town, with a population also of around 250 plants. There\u2019s only one other example of a sister pair in the Amaryllidaceae family near Wellington.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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